Prosperous Taiwan means moving beyond 'first island chain': KMT chair

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) Taiwan should move beyond its Cold War-era role as part of the "first island chain" in pursuit of regional prosperity, Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said Monday.

At a media gathering in Taipei, Cheng said Taiwan's role as part of the first island chain mirrored its position on "the front line of war" between eastern and western blocs during the Cold War, a situation she said should change.

Cheng said she hoped areas stretching from Japan and South Korea to Taiwan, China's southeastern coast, Hong Kong and Singapore could become peaceful and prosperous regions instead of strategic front lines shaped by rivalry between major powers.

She had become more convinced of the possibility of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing in early April, Cheng said, adding that support from the United States would be crucial to such a shift in the geopolitical landscape.

Ahead of an expected three-day summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi in China beginning Wednesday, Cheng said reconciliation and cooperation between Washington and Beijing would be the "greatest blessing to the world."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Trump and Xi were expected to discuss trade, the Iran war and Taiwan during their meeting.

Cheng's remarks echoed those in an interview with CNN released Sunday, in which she was quoted as saying that "being friendly to the U.S. does not necessarily mean there's animosity toward China."

Shortly after meeting with Xi, Cheng announced plans to visit the U.S.

On Monday, she said the trip is scheduled for early June and will last about two weeks, with planned stops including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Washington.